Mechanism for positioning carton flaps



y 1969 R. F. LENSE MECHANISM FOR POSITIONING CARTON FLAPS Filed April 5,1967 w f go I 2 L, ense dwomos United States Patent 3,442,062 MECHANISMFOR POSITIONING CARTON FLAPS Robert F. Lense, Rockford, Ill., assignorto Riegel Paper Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of DelawareFiled Apr. 3, 1967, Ser. No. 627,705 Int. Cl. B65b 7/20 US. Cl. 53-374 9Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A carton closing machine in which arearwardly extending trailing flap of an advancing carton is swungupwardly and forwardly by a flap positioning mechanism before the flapis folded across the end of the carton by a folding shoe. Thepositioning mechanism includes an arm which is swung out of and returnedto the carton path as a result of being engaged by the moving carton,and a finger carried by the arm for swinging the flap into an uprightposition during the return of the arm.

Background of the invention Summary of the invention The primary aim ofthe present invention is to provide a novel and simplified flappositioning mechanism which is actuated automatically by the advancingcartons approaching the closing station and which engages and swings thetrailing flaps into proper positions as an incident to being actuated bythe cartons. The positioning mechanism embodying the features of theinvention includes an arm adapted to move from a normal positionextending across the path directly in response to being engaged by anadvancing carton and then to return to the normal position as the cartonpasses into the closing station. The arm carries a member shaped toengage and swing the trailing flap into the desired positionautomatically upon the return of the arm to the normal position.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspectiveview of a machine having a flap positioning mechanism embodying thenovel features of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation of the machine illustratedin FIG. 1 and showing the parts in moved postions.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the machine illustrated in FIG. 2 and showingthe parts in other moved positions.

Detailed description As shown in the drawings for purposes ofillustration, the invention is embodied in a machine in which a carrier10 advances rectangular cartons 11 step-by-step along a predeterminedpath through a filling station 13 where 2 charge of product is depositedin the cartons and ther through a closing station 14 where the upperends of the cartons are closed and sealed to enclose the product it thecartons. The product herein is ice cream which is dispensed in asemi-liquid condition through a spout 15 and is delivered into the upperends of the cartons through a forming member 16.

Each of the cartons 11 shown herein is formed by two rectangular sidepanels 17 and 18 hingedly connected along opposite side margins by twonarrow rectangular edge panels 19. To close the open upper end of thecarton, side flaps 20 and 21 and edge flaps 22 and 23 initiallyprojecting upwardly from the panels are folded across the open end.

In this instance, the carrier 10 comprises a pair of spaced parallelside rails 25 and 25a disposed on opposite sides of the path and guidingslides (not shown) for back and forth reciprocation along a lineparallel to the path. Usually, the slides carry spring fingers (notshown) which engage the cartons 11 on the forward strokes of the slidesto advance the cartons along the path and then spring past the cartonsidly on the return strokes of the slides. The slides are reciprocated bya set of lever arms 26 which are connected to the slides and areoscillated back and forth about horizontal shafts 27 by a crank 28, thelatter being rotated by a power shaft 29 and being connected to thelever arms by a pair of links 30.

Initially, each carton 11 is delivered to the carrier 10 in an uprightposition with the side panel 17 leading the side panel 18 and with theflaps 20 and 23 projecting upwardly from the respective panels 17 to19*. As the carton is advanced toward the filling station 13, the sideflaps 20 and 21 are folded horizontally and in opposite directions tothe positions shown in FIG. 1 by a set of plows (not shown) so that theflaps will not interfere with the delivery of theice cream into the openend of the carton. Upon being filled, each carton advances to and dwellsin the closing station 14 where the edge flaps 22 and 23 are foldedtoward each other and across the open end of the carton by a pair ofswingable arms 32 disposed on opposite sides of the path and mounted ona frame 33 supported on the upper sides of the rails 25 and 25a.

After the edge flaps 22 and 23 have been folded, the trailing side flap20 is folded downwardly and forwardly over the edge flaps by a curvedshoe 35. As the carton -11 leaves the closing station 14, the leadingside flap 21 is engaged by a plow (not shown) extending across the pathand is folded downwardly and rearwardly across the edge flaps. Finally,the flaps are sealed in their folded positions by a heat sealingmechanism (not shown).

In this instance, the shoe 35 for folding the trailing flap 20 of eachcarton 11 is carried at the free end of a rearwardly projecting arm 37rigid with a horizontal rock shaft 38 journaled at its ends in the frame33. As the shaft is rocked about its own axis, the shoe swingsdownwardly and upwardly in an are about the shaft, first to engage andfold the trailing flap of one carton and then to return to a position tocatch the trailing flap of the next succeeding carton. In order for theshoe to fold the flap downwardly and forwardly across the end of thecarton, the flap must be swung upwardly from its rearwa'rdly extendingposition and to a position disposed Within the arc of the downwardlysweeping shoe.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a 1ew and improvedflap positioning mechanism 40 adapted be actuated simply by the movementof each advancing carton 11 and movable into engagement with thetrailing flap as an incident to being actuated so as to swing the flapinto a proper position for folding over the end of the carton. To theseends, the mechanism in- :ludes an arm 41 which first moves from a normalposition projecting into the path of the cartons upon being engaged byan advancing carton and then returns to the normal position as thecarton passes into the closing station 14. Movable with the arm is amember 42 that engages the rearwardly extending trailing flap as the armreturns thereby to swing the flap into a proper position for foldingover the end of the carton, the flap herein being swung into an uprightposition disposed in the path of the folding shoe 35.

In the present instance, the arm 41 of the positioning mechanism 40 is aflat sheet metal member mounted in the closing station 14 for back andforth swinging into and out of the path of the cartons 11. The arm ispivotally mounted at its outer end on a short pin 44 upstanding from theside rail and normally extends transversely of the path as shown inFIGS. 1 and 3 with the free end 45 of the arm projecting a shortdistance into the path. Preferably, the member 42 is an upwardlyprojecting finger made of wire and welded at its lower end to the freeend of the arm. The finger is shaped generally as an upwardly spiralinghelix and thus the inner flap-engaging surface 46 thereof curvesupwardly and forwardly when the finger is disposed in the normalposition (FIG. 3). As shown most clearly in FIGS. 2 and 3, the arm 41and the lower end portion of the finger are located at a level justbelow the flap hinges while the upper end of the finger is spacedforwardly of the lower end and is disposed almost level with the upperedges of the flaps.

As each carton 11 approaches the closing station 14 with the trailingflap 20 extending rearwardly, the leading side panel 17 engages the rearside of the arm 41 and swings the arm and the finger 42 clockwise aboutthe pin 44 to the shifted position shown in FIG. 2 in which both the armand the finger are disposed alongside the path to leave the carton freefor advancement into the closing station. Such clockwise swinging of thearm winds a resiliently yieldable torsion spring 47 encircling the pin44. The lower end of the spring is formed with a hook 4 8 wrapped aroundthe forward side of the arm, and the upper end of the spring is formedwith a finger 49 projecting upwardly through a hole extending through acollar 50 fastened to the upper end of the pin by a set screw 51. Thus,the spring urges the free end 45 of the arm against the adjacent edgepanel 19 as the carton moves past the arm and into the closing station.

Once the edge panel 19 has moved past the arm 41, the loaded spring 47automatically swings the arm counterclockwise and back to the normalposition (FIG. 3) projecting into the carton path. A stop 52 projectingupwardly from the side rail 25 engages the rear side of the arm toprevent the arm from swinging beyond the normal position. During theinitial rearward swinging of the arm, the lower portion of the finger 42moves beneath the underside of the rearwardly extending trailing flap20. Continued swinging of the arm causes the curved flapengaging surface46 of the finger to cam the flap gradually upwardly and forwardly untilthe flap is substantially vertical (FIG. 3) and is disposed in the pathof the folding shoe 35. Accordingly, the upright flap is positionedproperly for folding downwardly and forwardly across the end of thecarton as the folding shoe sweeps downwardly.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the novel flap positioningmechanism 40 is extremely simple in construction and trouble-free inservice use since the arm 42 is operated by the movement of the cartons11 and without the assistance of mechanical actuators. The mechanism isdirectly responsive to movement of a carton into the closing station andthus does away with the need of timing devices for controlling themovements of the arm.

I claim as my invention:

1. -In a machine for closing rectangular cartons of the type havingopposed edge panels interconnected by first and second opposed sidepanels and having a closure flap hingedly joined at one end to the endof the second side panel, the combination of, mechanism for supporting aseries of spaced cartons in upright positions and advancing each cartonalong a predetermined path to a closing station with the first panelleading the second panel and with the closure flap projecting from thesecond panel, an arm mounted in said closing station for back and forthswinging about an upright axis between a normal position projecting intosaid path and a shifted position disposed alongside the path, said armbeing engageable by the leading panel of a carton approaching saidclosing station and being swung to said shifted position automaticallyas an incident to such engagement thereby to leave the carton free foradvancement into the closing station, resilient means connected to saidarm for swinging the latter back to said normal position after thecarton has moved into said closing station, and a member carried by saidarm and engageable with the closure fiap as the arm moves back to saidnormal position thereby to swing the closure flap relative to the secondpanel.

2. A machine as defined in claim 1 in which the free end of said arm isurged against one of the edge panels when the arm is in said shiftedposition and in which the arm swings back to said normal position afterthe edge panel has moved past said free end.

3. A machine as defined in claim 1 further including an upright pinmounting said arm for swinging between said positions, said resilientmeans comprising a torsion spring encircling said pin and connected tosaid arm, said spring being wound as an incident to swinging of said armto said shifted position.

4. A machine as defined in claim 1 in which said member comprises anelongated finger projecting substantially vertically from said arm.

5. A machine as defined in claim 4 in which the closure flap is hingedto the upper end of the second side panel and extends rearwardly fromthe latter as the carton advances into said closing station, said fingerprojecting upwardly from said arm and being shaped to cam against theunderside of the flap to fold the flap upwardly and forwardly as saidarm swings back to said normal position.

6. A machine as defined in claim 5 in which the lower end of said fingeris disposed below the hinge joining the flap to the second panel and theupper end of the finger is disposed above the hinge.

7. A machine as defined in claim 6 in which said finger is shaped tospiral upwardly and forwardly when said arm is in said normal position.

8. A machine as defined in claim 1 in which said member is disposedalongside said path when said arm is in said shifted position.

9. In a machine for closing a rectangular carton having first and secondopposed side panels and having a closure flap hingedly joined at one endto the end of the second side panel, the combination of, mechanism forsupporting and advancing the carton in an upright position along apredetermined path to a closing station with the first panel leading thesecond panel and with the closure flap trailing the second panel, an armmounted in said closing station for movement between a normal positionprojecting into said path and a shifted position disposed out of thepath, said ar-m being engaged by the leading panel as the cartonapproaches said closing sta- 5 6 tion and being moved to said shiftedposition in response References Cited to such engagement to leave thecarton free for advance- UNITED STATES PATENTS ment into the closingstation, resilient means connected to said arm and being loaded as anincident to movement 3,032,947 5/1962 Voller 53*374 of the arm to saidshifted position thereby to move the 3,264,798 8/1966 Hayes et 53 37 armback to said normal position after the carton has 5 advanced into saidclosing station, and a member carried TRAVIS MCGEHEE Prlmary Exammer' bysaid arm and engageable with the closure fiap as the U S Cl X R armmoves back to said normal position thereby to swing the closure flaprelative to the second panel. 53-486; 93 53

